If you know even a little bit about Nepal, then you must be knowing that Nepal is a land of festivals. Festivals are one of the important elements in Nepalese society. That’s why Nepalese people celebrate more than 50 festivals in a year. These festivals are enthusiastically celebrated all over the country.
One of these most celebrated festivals of Nepal is Teej. In this blog post, we are going to tell you about the celebration of Teej in Nepal. If you are unfamiliar with this festival of Nepal, then after reading this blog post, you are going to know almost everything about it.
We hope you are going to enjoy reading this post.
What Is Teej?
Teej is a Hindu festival that is celebrated by Hindu women. Mostly occurring in the months of August-September, Teej is celebrated in Nepal and in some parts of North India(Darjeeling, Sikkim, Uttrakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh) to welcome the monsoon season by the Hindu women and girls by fasting, dancing, singing songs, praying, and performing many rituals.
Though this festival is celebrated only by women, it is especially significant for married women. It is also known as Haryali Teej and Hartalika Teej. It is one of the festivals that are mostly or only celebrated in Nepal.
Why Is Teej Celebrated?
Festivals in Hinduism have a great significance and are celebrated for reasons. As you know now, Teej is celebrated mostly in the months of August which is one of the months of the monsoon in Nepal.
So, Teej is also celebrated to welcome the monsoon season. The festivals celebrate the bounty of nature, the arrival of clouds and rain, greenery, and birds with social activity, rituals, and customs. This isn’t the only reason why women celebrate this festival. There is also Hindu etymology behind the celebration of Teej.
According to Hindu mythology, it is believed that the king Himavan (Parvati Father) Wants to make a arrange marriage to Lord Vishnu but with the help of her friend she escapes from there and married lord shiva. So this day also takes as a union of lord Shiva and Parvati. This is why we celebrate Teej for the shake of Lord Shiva and Parvati. So, Hindu Married women take fast on this day for the prosperity of their husband’s long life and unmarried women take fast on this day to get the husband like shiva who loves his wife more than himself.
Women celebrate this festival of monsoon to dedicate their prays to Goddess Parvati and God Shiva. The festival is also celebrated to remember the reunion of Shiva and Parvati, the day when Shiva accepted Parvati as his wife. Parvati fasted and was austere for many years and was accepted by Shiva as his wife in her 108 birth. Parvati is also known as Teej Mata(Teej Mother).
That’s why women also celebrate this festival to ask for special blessings from Lord Shiva for the long, healthy, and prosperous life of their husbands.
Significance & Celebration Of Teej In Nepal
Teej in Nepal is celebrated for three days by Nepalese Hindu women. Nepalese women especially celebrate this festival for the long, healthy, and prosperous life of their spouses and children. Let us tell you how this festival is celebrated in three days.
Day 1:
The first day of Teej is known as DAR KHANE DIN. On this day, women decked up in the read sarees, red tika & bangles gather at one place and celebrate this day by singing & dancing. Along with these, a grand feast takes place which is hosted by the men. Women, who work hard throughout the year, do not have to do anything that day.
That is the day for them to embellish themselves in sorha singaar – dressing up and using makeup to the full extent, indulge in good food, and dance. Oftentimes, because women are invited by multiple brothers for the feast, they try to dance off some food before they are ready to eat more. The food served is supposed to be rich and abundant.
Day 2:
The second day is the day of fasting. Some women don’t eat or drink food and water while others drink liquids and eat fruit. The fasting is observed by married and unmarried women.
Married women abstain strictly from food and drinks with a belief that their devotion to the gods will be blessed with longevity, peace, and prosperity of their husband and family. Unmarried women observe the fast with the hope of being blessed with a good husband.
They dress gaily and visit a nearby Shiva temple singing and dancing on the way. The Pashupatinath Temple gets the highest number of devotees. At the temple, women circumambulate the shiva lingam, which symbolizes Shiva, offer the praying with flowers, sweets, and coins.
The main puja (religious ceremony) takes place with offerings of flowers, fruits, etc., made to Shiva and his wife Parvati, beseeching them to grant their blessing upon the husband and family.
The important part of the puja is the oil lamp which should be alight throughout the night. It is believed that the light of an oil lamp all night will bring peace and prosperity to the husband and family.
Day 3:
The third day of the festival is Rishi Panchami. After the completion of the previous day’s puja, women pay homage to seven saints or sages, offer prayers to deities, and bathe with red mud found on the roots of the sacred datiwan bush, along with its leaves.
The Rishi Panchami revolves around the purity of women. It is a time when women cleanse themselves of the possible “sin of touching a man during menstruation.” During this festival, which occurs two days after the Teej, the women participate in ritual baths and puja (worship).
One of the defining characteristics of the Teej Festival is the songs the women sing. Traditionally, these songs emphasized the subservient role of women in Nepalese society in addition to reinforcing the traditional Hindu ideology of gender relations.
Within the past few decades, as Nepal and the surrounding area experienced rapid development and modernization, the Teej songs have become more of a critical commentary on gender relations from women’s perspectives. These songs “extend the women’s thoughts and experiences of hardships from an intimate conversation to a public setting”. The Teej songs allow women to effect change in their respective societies by giving them a public voice.
Conclusion
Teej is a very special and important festival for Hindu women in Nepal. It is fascinating is to watch women of all age groups, young and old, dance for hours in the heat, rain, without a drop of water or food for an entire day. We hope you get quite good information about the Teej festival in Nepal.
FAQs On Teej In Nepal
What is the date of Teej in Nepal in 2021?
Teej is going be to celebrated in Nepal in 2021 on September 9.
What is Teej?
Teej is a Hindu festival that mostly falls in the months of August-September which is celebrated by Hindu women.
Why is Teej celebrated?
There are many reasons behind the celebration of Teej in Nepal. It is celebrated to welcome monsoon, to dedicate prayers to Goddess Parvati & Shiva, and married women celebrate Teej for the long, healthy & prosperous life of their husbands and children.
In which month Teej is celebrated?
Teej is mostly celebrated in the months of August-September(Bhadra-Ashwin).
